The King’s Man (2021)

My Review

“The King’s Man” is an action movie that tells the background story of the Kingsman intelligence agency. Set during World War I, it follows the Duke of Oxford’s effort to build an underground spy network independent of the government and stop a group of villains from destabilizing the world.

Director and screenwriter Matthew Vaughn (“Stardust,” 2007) developed an energetic origin story that serves as a prequel to “Kingsman: The Secret Service” (2014) and “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” (2017). The cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Daniel Brühl, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Tucci.

The film was produced by Marv Studios, Cloudy Productions, 20th Century Studios, and The Walt Disney Company, with filming in England and Piedmont, Italy. In our view, Vaughn gets strong performances from the ensemble and delivers a watchable entry whose World War I setting gives the familiar Kingsman action a distinct identity.